Grand Theft Auto V music now on iTunes

Rockstar Games releases The Music of Grand Theft Auto V across three separate albums for $10 each or together for $25.

Gamers looking to take the music from open-world game Grand Theft Auto V with them on the go are in luck, as Rockstar Games today released The Music of Grand Theft Auto V on iTunes.

The Music of Grand Theft Auto V is a trio of separate albums from the game. Each sells for $10 individually or as a full compilation for $25.

Volume 1: Original Music includes songs created specifically for the game from artists like Wavves, Twin Shadow and Tyler, and The Chain Gang of 1974.

GTAV was the first entry in the series to feature an original score. Gamers can now take it with them through Volume 2: The Score, which was composed in collaboration between Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, and hip hop producers The Alchemist and Oh No.

For the purposes of Volume 2: The Score, Rockstar Games said the stems of the game’s interactive score were layered, mixed, and arranged into an album of songs by producer DJ Shadow.

Finally, Volume 3: The Soundtrack features a selection of songs spanning the game’s 17 in-game radio stations. Tracks from Bootsy Collins, Flying Lotus, Bob Seger, Jai Paul, Toro y Moi, and Waylon Jennings are included.

GTAV launched last week and generated $1 billion in global retail sales in three days, faster than any other entertainment property in history.

 

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Japan’s gaming market is a world apart

Videogame fans queue up to buy ‘Monster Hunter 4’ in Tokyo on September 14, 2013. (AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

CHIBA, Japan – The latest version of blockbuster videogame Grand Theft Auto may have stoked a worldwide buying frenzy, but the ultra-violent offering is likely to be a minnow in Japan’s vast gaming market.

Shoot-em-up offerings from abroad often struggle to gain traction in the multi-billon-dollar Japanese videogame sector where fantasy-style games reign supreme and sell in the millions — though many in the West have not heard of them.

They include the hugely popular Monster Hunter franchise, which has sold 23 million copies and counting since its debut a decade ago.

“But most of them were sold in Japan even though we did make an English version,” said a spokeswoman for game creator Capcom.

Language translation problems and cultural differences were among the reasons cited for the struggles of foreign game operators in Japan, a rift that was apparent as gamers flocked to the Tokyo Game Show this week.

Over 600 games titles were on offer at the four-day extravaganza that wraps up Sunday.

Though Japan once dominated the worldwide market with the likes of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, the country appears to be looking increasingly inward.

“The main trends of the videogame market in Japan are divided into two categories: major worldwide successes like Pokemon, Final Fantasy or Biohazard, and games that are specifically designed for core Japanese gamers,” said the Asia Trend Map institute, pointing to the “overwhelming dominance of games made in Japan”.

A blockbuster offering based on the popular comic book “Shonen Jump” reflects a common theme in which many Japanese games are centred around a character well known in multiple media platforms, from so-called manga cartoons and movies to music and television series.

Namco Bandai’s AKB 1/149 Renai Sosenkyo, a popular dating simulation game, is the kind of title known to most at home but with little name familiarity abroad — AKB48 is the name of a well-known girl band.

“The title isn’t suited to foreign markets,” said Namco Bandai spokesman Toshiaki Honda.

Even Japanese giant Sony is releasing its PlayStation 4 abroad before its hits store shelves in Japan — a first — with executives saying that titles expected to be hits at home won’t be ready in time.

Eiji Araki, senior official of mobile social game maker Gree, added: “We’ve learned that characters and visuals favoured in the United States are different from those in Japan.”

For some, the unique character of Japan’s gaming market encapsulates the country’s so-called Galapagos Syndrome in which firms concentrate almost solely on the domestic market.

The take-up in Japan on Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones trailed huge sales abroad as many mobile carriers focused on homegrown flip-phone offerings.

While iPhone is now selling well in Japan, a ride on the Tokyo subway underscores another unique aspect of the nation’s gaming market — a love of handheld gaming devices.

Commuters on the city’s vast transportation network are frequently seen thumbing away on portable devices to pass the time while, at home, consoles outpace the rising popularity abroad of playing games on personal computers

For one official at Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation, the love of fantasy and role-playing games in low-crime Japan stands in stark contrast to Grand Theft Auto’s brutal depictions of urban violence.

“Japanese consumers prefer family-use games to those with violent, anti-social or extreme expressions of sexuality,” she said.

A report by Internet firm GMO Cloud characterises the difference as “self-escapism versus self-expression”.

True or not, Grand Theft Auto is undoubtedly violent, especially when compared to Nintendo’s award-winning “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” in which players take on the role of a mayor running a rural community.

By contrast, past versions of Grand Theft Auto have included simulated sex with prostitutes and drunken driving, along with profanity-packed dialogue. Carjacking, gambling and killing are the staples of a game in which players take on the role of a psychopathic killer in fictional Los Angeles.

When Grand Theft Auto IV was released five years ago it blew away videogame and Hollywood records by taking an unprecedented $500 million in the week after its release, and it shows few signs of slowing with the game’s fifth incarnation released days ago.

Despite its foreign pedigree, Hisakazu Hirabayashi, of Tokyo-based consultancy firm InteractKK, said he still expects the newest Grand Theft Auto to have relative success among Japanese consumers, at least “for a Western game”.

 

CHIBA, Japan (AFP)

Grand Theft Auto V Cheats For PS3 – Spawn Planes, Helicopters, Cars, Boosts and More

Here are some cheat codes for the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto V. Enjoy!

The list will be updated as more codes are revealed, but remember – using them will disable the ability to earn trophies, so save your game before using them.

Spawn Buzzard Attack Chopper, helicopter – Small weaponized helicopter

Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L1, L2, R1, Triangle, Circle, Triangle

Spawn Caddy, Utility – Golf Cart

Circle, L1, Left, R1, L2, X, R1, L1, Circle, X

Spawn Plister Comet, Sports – Porsche

R1, Circle, R2, Right, L1, L2, X, X, Square, R1

Spawn Duster, Planes – Crop Duster

Right, Left, R1, R1, R1, Left, Triangle, Triangle, X, Circle, L1, L1

Spawn Dundreary Stretch, Sedans – Stretch Limo

R2, Right, L2, Left, Left, R1, L1, Circle, Right

Spawn Dewbeauchee Rapid GT, Sports – Aston Martin

R2, L1, Circle, Right, L1, R1, Right, Left, Circle, R2

Spawn Maibatsu Sanchez, Motorcycles – Motocross bike

Circle, X, L1, Circle, Circle, L1, Circle, R1, R2, L2, L1, L1

Spawn Mallard, Planes – Stunt Plane

Circle, Right, L1, L2, Left, R1, L1, L1, Left, Left, X, Triangle

Spawn Trashmaster, Service – Garbage Truck

Circle, R1, Circle, R1, Left, Left, R1, L1, Circle, Right

Drunk Mode – Enter to activate or deactivate

Triangle, Right, Right, Left, Right, Square, Circle, Left

Bang Bang – Explosive Ammo Round, Enter to activate or deactivate

Right, Square, X, Left, R1, R2, Left, Right, Right, L1, L1, L1

Explosive Melee Attacks – Enter to activate or deactivate

Right, Left, X, Triangle, R1, Circle, Circle, Circle, L2

Fast Run – Enter to activate or deactivate

Triangle, Left, Right, Right, L2, L1, Square

Lower Wanted Level

R1, R1, Circle, R2, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left

Raise Wanted Level

R1, R1, Circle, R2, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right

Recharge Ability

X, X, Square, R1, L1, X, Right, Left, X

Slow Motion Aim – Enter up to 4 times, fifth time disables cheat

Square, L2, R1, Triangle, Left, Square, L2, Right, X

Change Weather –  Rotates through Sunny, Clear, Cloudy, Smoggy, Overcast, Rainy, thundery, clearing and snowy

R2, X, L1, L1, L2, L2, L2, Square

Slidey Cars

Triangle R1, R1, Left, R1, L1, R2, L1

Slow Motion – Enter up to 4 times, fifth time disables cheat

Triangle, Left, Right, Right, Square, R2, R1

Parachute Given – Get Parachute

Left, Right, L1, L2, R1, R2, R2, Left, Left, Right, L1

Always Online Requirement for GTAV Snapmatic Photos Causes Problems After Rockstar Game Services Bugs

It’s annoying enough that you need to be signed in to save your Snapmatic photos in GTAV, but it’s even more annoying that Rockstar’s servers seem to be struggling with the process.

In Grand Theft Auto V you can use your smartphone to take pictures, but you have to be signed in through both PSN/XBL and Rockstar’s servers for it to work. Sadly, unlike everyone else, it doesn’t look like they predicted the huge amount of demand for the game, and the huge demand for selfies. While many have been able to connect, with their terrible pics viewable here, others are greeted with the message “The Rockstar game services are unavailable right now”. Here at PSLS, both my version (UK) and Dan’s (US) have experienced the issue, while Twitter is filled with users complaining for the past 12 hours.

Currently, there is no known fix, but Rockstar patching in offline picture taking would seem like the most logical course of action.

 

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Can “Grand Theft Auto V” Save the Video-Game Industry?

Shares of Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO  ) hit a fresh 52-week high this week, and it’s not necessarily the past that has investors excited. Shares of the Rockstar Games parent have nearly doubled over the past year in anticipation of next month’s release of Grand Theft Auto V.

It’s easy to see why the market’s excited. More than five years have passed since Grand Theft Auto IV set initial sales records. The industry itself has gone into a tailspin in that time, as social and casual games on smartphones, tablets, and social-networking websites have eaten into the industry’s revenue.

Diehard gamers are still there. There’s no joy in Candy Crush Saga or Plants vs. Zombies for them. However, they have been fewer in number, as hardware and disc-based software sales have fallen every year since 2009.

Thankfully for Take-Two, the trend in recent years has been for gamers to ignore all but the marquee releases. Despite dwindling sales for the industry overall, Activision Blizzard‘s (NASDAQ: ATVI  ) annual Call of Duty installments continue to set new records.

That’s good news as the market’s bracing for the Sept. 17 release date of the gritty title.

Source: Rockstar Games.

How big will the game be? Well, GameStop (NYSE: GME  ) delighted investors on Thursday by forecasting an 11% to 15% spike in store-level comps this quarter. Grand Theft Auto V is the quarter’s big release, as Call of Duty: Ghosts as well as the potentially game-changing release of the Xbox One and PS4 consoles won’t take place until November.

GameStop has posted nine consecutive quarters of negative comps, and it’s banking on Take-Two’s release to turn that around.

“I can’t clarify exactly what the impact on the comp is of Grand Theft Auto V, but obviously, it’s going to be a huge title,” GameStop’s CFO noted in Thursday morning’s earnings call, also pointing out that it will be the only U.S. retailer that will be selling a $150 collectors’ edition.

Surely there’s some irony in shelling out $150 for a collectible version of a game about living a life of crime.

There will be less drama surrounding Take-Two itself than there was when Grand Theft Auto IV was released in April 2008. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA  ) made several offers to buy out Take-Two in the months preceding and following that game’s release, and shareholders rebuffed EA’s advances every time. There doesn’t appear to be a repeat performance out of EA this time around.

Take-Two continues to trade well below EA’s original offer to cash out investors at $26 a pop, but you won’t find too many newer shareholders complaining about a stock that opened at a new high on Friday morning, 89% ahead of where it was a year earlier.

The game’s afoot, and that foot just happens to be on the accelerator.

 

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